Flamepaw's Story
by Roux Andrews
Summary: After his sister, Duskpaw kills his own mother, Flamepaw must try to live on as a normal warrior. Original fanfic.


_Duskkit and Flamekit were born to a queen called Blackstripe. She raised them in the nursery, and as usual, they were adorable kits who couldn't hurt a thing. They were told stories of LeopardClan and StarClan, and all about the cats of all the clans, fallen warriors; the usual stuff. _

_But something was wrong with Duskkit._

"Run, Duskpaw! You need to go get help!"

Duskpaw's ears pricked. Her mother was in trouble, and she needed to get help. But still...

"But I need to help Flamepaw!" Duskpaw mewed. She wasn't going to leave her brother anytime soon.

"I'll take care of Flamepaw. You need to go, NOW!" her mother said sternly.

Duskpaw, being blunt, began to argue. Blackstripe looked at her with a look of anguish, and finally said, "_Please,_ Duskpaw. You need to get help." Blackstripe began to fight off the fox, which ran off into the bushes a few moments later. Duskpaw narrowed her eyes at her mother.

"You think I'm just a kit, don't you?" Duskpaw asked. "You think I'm not capable of taking care of myself, right?"

Flamepaw rose to his paws, and uttered, "Duskpaw, I think--"

"Shut up, Flamepaw," the jet black she-cat meowed, her attention focused on her mother.

"Duskpaw!" Blackstripe said. "I never said you were a kit. You are going to be a great warrior?"

"Oh, _really?_" Duskpaw said. "A great warrior doesn't have their mother telling them what to do!"

"Duskpaw--"

"**I'm an apprentice now! Not a stupid kit! And someday, I'll be a warrior! You can't treat me like anything else!**"

The apprentice quickly padded over to her mother, claws unsheathed. She raised her paw to Blackstripe's throat, and slowly scored her claws across it. The senior warrior collapsed onto the grass, and let out a cry that was cut short. The life in her eyes faded away; Blackstripe was now dead.

Flamepaw's heart started to beat so fast he was certain it would burst.

Duskpaw slowly turned around to Flamepaw, who at this point was having a panic attack.

"Flamepaw."

The ginger tabby tom stayed perfectly still, hoping he could sink into the ground below him, which now felt light as air.

"You will not tell anyone this happened. Now, we can say Mother was killed by the fox."

"No— no, Duskpaw! I—I can't believe you—"

As fast as lightning, Duskpaw padded over to Flamepaw.

"I'll kill you if I have to." She mewed, her claws pressing into his throat.

By instinct, Flamepaw ran away, but Duskpaw was able to quickly slash his muzzle. She began to run after him, and eventually pinned him down, Flamepaw's face pressing into the leaves.

"Don't try to run away," Duskpaw whispered. "Let's go home."

Duskpaw sat in the back of the apprentices' den, biding her time by grooming herself. She felt a little bad for leaving her beloved Flamepaw behind, but it didn't matter now. She wasn't going to be bound to the warrior code, although if her mother, Blackstripe was alive, she would have been a loyal apprentice. But no. That was why she killed her mother in the first place. She waited for another cat, apprentice or not an apprentice to either put her on dawn patrol for tomorrow, or maybe to be trained.

Sandpaw skipped in merrily, happy to have something to do. Graystone and her had just finished battle training, and she was beat. She leaped into her nest, not noticing the other cat in here. She looked up, shocked to find another cat. "Umm...hello?" the tan apprentice said. She never really talked to Duskpaw, 'cause she didn't really like her, but something told her, she should right now. Duskpaw looked up. "Oh, hey, Sandpaw!" she mewed, putting on her pretending-to-be-nice voice. "How's it going?" She paused for a moment, and then looked back down. "I assume you were on the dawn patrol," the black she-cat added. Nightstar, luckily, hadn't put Duskpaw on the patrol, but she was bound to tomorrow morning.

_Rogue,_ Duskpaw thought. _She must be aching to go home._

Sandpaw shook her head. "No, I was battle training. It was so much fun!" She let her guard down, let herself be excited to show the other apprentice what she had learned. "I learned a new move today. Graystone said I nailed it the second time. Isn't that great?" She got into the position. "See you crouch down when the attacker is getting ready to pounce. When they're in the air, you leap up, catching them by the stomach, and push them back onto their back." She was so excited, she was bouncing. She got up out of her crouch. "What did you do today?" she asked politely.

"Uh-huh," Duskpaw meowed loudly in a way that indicated she wasn't listening at all.

_Wait a minute.._

That was dumb. Sandpaw probably will start hating her soon, which she didn't want, for now. Flamepaw had been sworn to secrecy about how Duskpaw had killed Blackstripe, their mother.

_Whatever,_ Duskpaw thought. _Less-fortunates like her probably don't listen._ Sandpaw hid her hurt expression well. "Uhm, I think I'll leave," she said, stalking out. She hated Duskpaw! How could she not listen? She probably didn't even know the move. Grumbling, she stomped off to clean out the elders' den, even though she didn't have to. Just something to do to avoid Duskpaw. After Sandpaw left, Duskpaw grinned, now delighted she ruined Sandpaw's day. For a moment, she wondered where her brother was, and as if on cue, a ginger tabby shape slunk by the apprentice den, probably going off to clean the elder's den.

After a day of rigorous training, Flamepaw trotted off to clean the elder's den. Every day he was getting closer and closer to being a warrior, which was amazing, because it had all gone by so fast, starting on their first night out as apprentices. With that memory coming to mind, Flamepaw shuddered at the sight of the motionless black shape that was their mother, although Flamepaw barely remembered anything about the whole event. He stopped at the elder's den to find Sandpaw, with a sullen look on her face. "Hey, Sandpaw," he said in greeting to the younger apprentice. "How's it going?" Sandpaw grunted a "Hi," before returning to her work. Guilty by association, after all. She began to feel bad about it all, so she looked up, faking a smile. It felt convincing, so she was sure that Flamepaw believed it. "Never better. I was talking to your sister a minute ago. I tried to teach her a new move." Then she got into it. "Do you want to see it!?! Graystone says I nailed it the second time I tried!" "All right," Flamepaw meowed, paying close attention. It was strange that Duskpaw would pay attention to an apprentice younger than her. However, Flamepaw, for some reason, was a little more polite than his sister. He continued to wait for Sandpaw do her battle move, his thoughts drifting off every few moments and his gaze tracing the scar on his muzzle. Sandpaw leaped up excited, dropping the ball of moss she was clearing away. She got into the position. "See you crouch down when the attacker is getting ready to pounce. When they're in the air, you leap up, catching them by the stomach, and push them back onto their back." She was so excited, she was bouncing. She got up out of her crouch. "What did you do today?" she asked politely.

"Oh, um, nothing, really. I went hunting… but that was about it."

"Flamepaw!" a voice called. Flamepaw recognized it as his mentor's voice. "Well, I've got to go," he meowed, heading off.

"Let's go on a quick border patrol," the clan deputy greeted him.


End file.
